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“Honey, I’m home!” Your voice slightly echoes in the shop as you walk in. It’s big and open in the waiting room, and at first you’re worried no one is here even though the door is unlocked, but then you finally see the receptionist/piercer Reggie walk out.
“You again.” Reggie sighs and rolls his eyes. “Eddie! Your girlfriend is here!”
They all know you and Eddie aren’t together. You’ve never dated and certainly aren’t dating now, and you’re convinced the only reason they call you that is because of your reaction. A blush immediately appears on your face that you desperately try to hide before Eddie comes out from the back. Unbeknownst to you, they actually call you that because of his relentless crush on you, not vice versa.
“Hey Y/N.” Eddie greets softly as he walks down the hallway to the swinging door that keeps the lobby separate from their workspaces. “Ready for another long day?” He asks as he swings the door open and waits for you to walk through.
“When am I ever ready?” You snort, following his lead after crossing the threshold. He walks down the hallway, passing the two rooms where piercings happen before getting to the large open area where the tattoos happen. Eddie’s station is in the back corner and it’s already set up for your arrival.
Once you see all the inks laid out and his tattoo gun prepared, the pre-tattoo jitters come in full force. Your teeth are chattering, hands shaking and your feet tucked into your doc martens have gone cold. He’s used to this by now, so Eddie is already prepared with a big fluffy blanket for you to hopefully keep you from shaking with shivers too much. “You’ve eaten today?” He asks you as you step closer to the chair that’s laid out flat for you.
“Yep. Had dinner and brought some snacks.” You point to your backpack slung over your shoulder.
“And water?”
“Duh.” You roll your eyes and grab your water bottle from the side pocket and shake it for good measure. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”
“Good girl.” He smirks, then he turns around to make the stencil at the printer. “We’re doing your sternum piece today, right?”
“Indeed we are!” Your voice shakes with your response. You’d chalk it up to tattoo nerves, but it’s more than that. You’ll have to be topless for at least a few hours and while you knew that when you asked him to draw you up something for that spot in particular, it didn’t ease your mind at all. You’d be topless and spend the next few hours with his hands so close to where you really wanted them to be.
While he’s turned around and not facing you, you quickly take off your flannel, placing it on the chair before pulling your shirt off as well. You’re relatively comfortable with Eddie and all of the artists in the shop, so you don’t mind the exposure, at least not yet. You have pasties on to cover your nipples, anyway. After you stuff your shirt into your backpack you pull the flannel back on, knowing you’re going to be freezing cold for the next few hours and hoping it at least helps to somewhat stave off the shivers. The last thing you’d want is to shake too much and mess up Eddie’s lines or something.
You know he’ll want to put the stencil on when you’re standing and relaxed so you wait by the chair for him to come back. He puts it down on his table and then starts to prep the skin. If he has a reaction to you showing so much, he doesn’t show it. He remains professional as he marks different points, trying to make sure it’ll be as symmetrical as he can make it. He’s still human, after all, so it’ll never be perfect, but he wants it to be as close as possible.
“Alright, go check that out in the mirror.” He tells you after he peels back the stencil paper and reveals the purple drawing underneath. Dutifully you walk over to the large mirror and twist and turn to see what it looks like from different angles. Once you’re sure it’s good, you walk back over and he helps you up onto the bed and drapes the big fuzzy blanket over your bottom half, covering your exposed stomach as much as possible while still giving him space for the tattoo.
“It’s perfect, Eddie.” You smile and he returns it as he sits down on his stool and pulls on a pair of hot pink gloves. Usually he buys black, but one of the guys who placed the order must have chosen the wrong color, because now you’re noticing everyone in the shop has pink gloves.
“Alright, you know the rules. Let me know if you need a break, I’ll do the same, and just relax. This is nothing new for you, right?” He asks, holding his tattoo gun in one hand and a folded paper towel in the other.
You nod and swallow your nerves the best that you can. “Right. Nothing new. Same pain as it always is. I’m ready.”
Eddie nods and then scoots closer, dipping the needle into the first black cup of ink before bringing it back to your skin. The first line is a shock to your system, but then you remember to keep breathing and it eases the pain slightly. It’s still a burning sensation, but you know you’ve dealt with worse.
“How’s that?” He asks you, just like he does every time he starts a new piece. He asks everyone the same question whether they’ve got just a few or hundreds of tattoos.
“‘Tis but a scratch.” You joke, which has the intended effect and makes him chuckle.
He gets into the groove of it for a while, and so do you. Somehow having him so close is relaxing more than it is nerve-wracking. Every breath you take you inhale more of his scent. Something musky and deep, like teakwood and tobacco. It’s one of your favorite scents, just because it reminds you of him and even though you’re being scratched what feels like a million times by a cat, you’re able to remain relatively calm.
“Hey Eddie?” You croak after a couple of hours of near silence. The only sounds that can be heard are the music playing over the speakers and the soft buzz of his tattoo machine.
“Yeah sweetheart?” He looks up after he finishes the line he’s working on, swiping at it with the wet towel before throwing it in the trash.
“You mind if we take a break?” You ask sheepishly. Normally you’re content to sit there as long as you can, waiting for him to be the one to break first, but you’ve had a lot of water today and definitely need a bathroom break.
“Don’t mind at all.” Eddie grins and sets his gun down on the table and then he stretches his arms out as wide as he can, making some gurgled moaning sound in the back of his throat. “Need help?” He peels the gloves off his hands and holds them both out to you for support. You gratefully take both and he gently pulls you up and off of the chair. “Let me just cover this up for now before you go anywhere.” He stops you from walking away and then rolls over to the counter on the back wall, grabbing the roll of saran wrap and some medical tape.
After it’s wrapped up as nicely as possible, you’re finally able to make your escape. You walk across the large expanse of the room to the bathroom and quickly lock the door behind you. After you’ve done your business and have washed your hands you finally get a look at the progress. Normally you wait until the very end to look at it, but it’s right in front of you now so you decide it won’t hurt to get a little peek. It’s a large atlas moth that spans almost your entire torso and you love it already. It’s intricate and a huge undertaking, but you can’t imagine anyone else you’d rather have make it part of you permanently.
Eddie had been your tattoo artist since the very first one you’ve ever gotten. It started out as a joke at first, being loyal and only letting him create art for your body, but it had since changed and you never wanted it to be anyone else. He took great pride in being the only one to tattoo you and loved that you were basically a walking portfolio of his work.
When you got back to his station he was gone, you figured he’d likely stepped out for a cigarette and hopped back on top of the bed and tugged the fluffy blanket over your lap and grabbed your backpack. You were munching on some candy when he came back in, cheeks rosy from the cold. “Ready?” You asked, perking up upon seeing him walk down the hallway towards you.
“Mind if we hold off a little longer? I’d hate to touch you with how cold my hands are.” He holds them out to you and you automatically grab one with your free hand.
“They’re so cold!” You squeal, but don’t let go, instead lacing your fingers together as he moves to sit back down on his rolly stool. “Want some?” You ask, tilting your bag of sour worms his way.
“Don’t mind if I do!” Eddie hums as he looks around in the bag before reaching in and pulling back with two red and blue worms between his fingers. “These are the best ones.”
“Agreed, but I don’t discriminate. I’ll eat ‘em all.” You shrug as you stuff an orange and green one into your mouth.
After a few minutes of chatting and munching on candy, Eddie stands up and goes over to the sink in the middle of the room and washes his hands. He lets out an obscene sound when the water gets hot enough, finally warming him up again. He then helps you put away your stuff and eases you back down onto the bed before moving the blanket down so he has enough space to work.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s with the barbie gloves?” You point to the fresh pair of gloves he’s pulling on.
He snorts before he replies, glancing across the room at one of the other tattoo artists who just waves sheepishly before getting back to work. “That’s James, he’s relatively new and he made our last order. Accidentally picked the hot pink ones rather than the black that we usually get.”
“Not a bad look, I kind of like them.” You shrug and Eddie chuckles but quietly agrees with you, swearing you to not tell James.
“At least they’re the right sizes, eh?” He says and picks the gun back up and dips it in the black ink. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” You weakly salute before letting your arms lay relaxed down by your sides.
Starting back up after a break, especially as long as that one was, is never a good idea, at least not for you. It feels like the pain has increased tenfold, and you can’t fight off all the grimacing and noises you make between clenched teeth. “You sure you want to keep going? We can finish this up another time.” Eddie offers, pulling away and waiting for you to tell him if you’re okay or not.
“No! I’m fine, my body was just convinced we were done. I’ll get used to it again.” You reassure him and he knows that’s what you say every time he asks that, but he wants to make sure he’s doing his due diligence.
The next time you take a break, it’s a shorter one, just for Eddie to stand up and stretch his limbs and his back. He has awful posture to begin with, but staying hunched over like that is not good for anyone, so you don’t mind when he asks to take breaks. He always keeps you entertained anyway, running around the tattoo area like a crazy person, doing charades or pretending to be a mime. Slowly as you get closer and closer to the finish line the studio empties out, just like always.
Your sessions with Eddie are always late so he can always squeeze you in and they end late, too. By the time you’re finished it’s nearing midnight and you’re both so exhausted you could sleep in the studio if need be.
“And we are done!” He announces, finally putting down his tattoo gun. “At least with the outline. Color and shading will be next time.”
“Thank god.” You groan and you reach your arms above you to stretch out, your legs doing the same under the fluffy blanket. He quickly gets you cleaned up, which is your favorite part of the process. The moan that comes out of your mouth when he pats the dripping wet paper towel over the fresh ink would be embarrassing if anyone else had heard it. But it was just Eddie here with you and you didn’t feel shame about that sort of thing with him.
“Wanna try saniderm this time?” He asks after he stands up and grabs a few pieces.
“Whoa, Eddie Munson, updating his tattoo practices? Never thought I’d see the day. Lay it on me.” He grabs your outstretched arms and brings them back down to your sides and then helps you to sit up, insisting that you should be in a relaxed position when he puts it on so that it’s not pulling at your skin or anything. He’s laser focused on making sure the pieces cover what they need to and then he’s taking off the outer layer, leaving what looks like a layer of masking tape on your stomach.
He explains how the aftercare is different with saniderm than it is with just regular saran wrap and tape and tells you that he can put new pieces on once you take this one off. After that’s settled you quickly hop off the table and put your shirt back on along with the flannel and a jacket. “I’ll walk you home.” He offers, though you know it’s not a question, you’re expected to just say yes.
Neither of you live far from the shop so after he closes everything down and locks the doors you begin your journey home. The streetlights are on of course, but otherwise it’s dark and it’s cold. You’re talking animatedly about something when you pass a dark alleyway and you can’t help the surprised squeal that escapes your lips upon seeing some guy in a black hoodie pointing a gun at you and Eddie.
“Give me your bag and your wallet, come on!” The guy orders, his voice shaking as he nervously looks around. There’s no one else out here, but it’s clearly a nervous tic. Out of the corner of your eye you can see Eddie reach into his back pocket for his wallet and you know that’s where he keeps his switchblade too. Instead of handing over the bag, you take the next opportunity where the guy is looking around to reach into it until your hand grasps the taser that you are so thankful you’d grabbed before you walked to the studio. You flip the switch on and immediately jab the device into the man’s chest, holding down the trigger until he falls to the ground limp.
“Holy shit!” Eddie jumps in surprise, still holding his open switchblade in the palm of his hand. “I-I can’t believe you just did that.” He stares in shock at the ground before kicking the gun out of the guy's hand, letting it skid across the sidewalk until it falls down a manhole.
“Did what? S-Saved your fucking life? You’re welcome!” You huff, voice shaking as you jab the taser against the dude again just to be safe before turning it off and stuffing it back in your bag. You then step over him and continue walking home like that didn’t even happen.
He takes a minute to catch up, still breathing erratically before his brain kicks back online and he rushes to your side. “Are you okay?” He asks, grabbing both of your shoulders and holding you still. “ Shit, you did save my life. Thank you.” He pulls you against his body in a hug, but you don’t reciprocate, brain still catching up to what’s going on. “I’m sorry, I was just in shock, d-do you want to come back to mine? It’s closer and I don’t know if we should be alone.”
He’s pulled back by now, still just holding you with his hands grasped around your biceps, you just want to be home, but end up agreeing and letting him lead you to his apartment. The walk is silent, save for each of your erratic breathing and then the silence is deafening once you’re in the safety of his apartment. “We almost just died.” You suddenly speak from Eddie’s couch. You weren’t sure how you got there, but he’d apparently helped you out of your boots and got you situated there while he was bustling in the kitchen. From here you could only see his head as it passed back and forth in the little opening to the room.
“We did just almost die.” He confirms as he walks out to the living room and sits down next to you. “Which is like insane and also means this is probably not the best time to tell you this, but I can’t wait any longer, Y/N. I’m tired of waiting for the “right” time, okay? Please know that.” He stammers, reaching out to cup his hands around yours that are shaking uncontrollably. “I really like you, I have for a long time. But then we became really good friends and I-I was afraid. Afraid of fucking it up. Afraid of losing the best friend I’ve ever had.” He looks up into your eyes and you hope he can see the same feelings reflected back.
Instead of responding you manage to pull one of your hands from his grasp, bringing it up to cup his cheek in your palm before leaning in and pressing your lips to his. It’s a wet kiss, thanks to the tears falling down each of your faces, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. He pushes back immediately, reciprocating as much as he can before you both pull away, laughing wetly as you brush tears off of the other’s cheeks.
“I like you too and am so glad we’re not dead right now.” You chuckle and so does he. You stay like that for a few moments longer until the mood suddenly shifts on its axis and you both jump at each other, touching and kissing as much as humanly possible. He pulls you up from the couch and you immediately follow and urgently begin to undress each other, leaving a trail of clothing from the couch to his bedroom until you’re both naked.
Eddie doesn’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on the fresh tattoo so he lays down on the bed and you fall gracefully on top, bracketing his hips with your knees and holding yourself up with your hands on his chest. “Reach in that drawer there and grab a condom.” He requests, pointing to the nightstand next to his bed. Dutifully you pull it open and right in front is a box of them, so you reach inside and grab one, dropping it onto his chest before closing it. He quickly gets it ripped open and reaches between your bodies to roll it down over his hard length before positioning it at your entrance. “Ready?” You quickly nod and he wastes no time in lifting his hips at the same time as he pulls you down against him until you’re pressed flush against him.
“So big, Eddie.” You coo, closing your eyes as you let your head tip back, your fingers digging into his chest as you get used to how he fills you. “Feel so good.” Your hips roll back and forth experimentally, making him groan below you.
“ Fuck, Y/N…” Eddie moans, his head digging into the pillows to somehow escape the pleasure, to not let it take over. “Pussy is so tight. G-Gimme a second.” He chokes out a gasp when your walls squeeze around him.
“S-Sorry,” You whine, trying desperately to get your body to stop moving, but you can’t help it. He feels so good inside of you. “Wanna cum, Eddie. Please make me cum?”
“Goddamn, baby. Yeah, okay. I’ll make you cum, honey.” He nods his head and licks his lips before planting his feet into the mattress and begins to fuck you in earnest. He keeps you in place with his hands under your ass and you try to help by holding yourself up, but it’s so hard with how good he feels. “Can’t even help me out, huh? Just fucking you so good?” He huffs with another harsh snap of his hips before he stills and lets you collapse in his lap.
“ Eddieee,” You whine pathetically, and then suddenly he’s flipping you over so you’re on your back and he’s above you. He pushes back inside in one fluid stroke, placing your legs on either shoulder and wrapping his arms around your thighs for leverage as he pounds into you relentlessly. A steady stream of moans and sighs tumble out of your lips as you writhe on his bed. “Don’t stop.” You beg him, your eyes shooting open when you feel the familiar tightening in your lower belly.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.” He chuckles breathlessly as his hips continue to pound into you. You’re sure there will be bruises on the backs of your thighs, but you don’t care. “C’mon, want to do it together.” He asks, reaching one arm out to lace his fingers together with yours. You nod shakily and he lets his other hand fall down to rub your clit, the pads of his fingers are rough and calloused from all his years playing the guitar so they catch deliciously against your soft skin.
The only warning he gets before your orgasm crashes over you in waves is your jaw dropping open in a silent scream and then you’re launched into the stratosphere. You cling onto his hand, probably squeezing much too hard, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He lets your legs fall down around his waist and plasters himself over your body, still managing to stay mindful of what is essentially a large open wound on your abdomen until he stills and cums into the condom. “ F-fuck,” you laugh shakily as you come back down to earth with Eddie’s heavy body on top of yours. “You alive?” You ask him, lifting his head from your neck as you desperately try to swipe his hair from his face until finally his dopey smile and half lidded eyes are unearthed.
“Barely.” He snorts, hanging his head as he looks down at where you’re still connected. He looks back up at you with pity on his face as he starts to pull out slowly, your own smile replaced with a grimace when he’s no longer inside of you. He stands up from the bed and goes to throw away the condom in the bathroom before coming back with a warm wet washcloth to clean you up. You expect it to be painful, but the cloth itself is really soft and so is Eddie with how he touches you. When he returns from throwing the washcloth into the bathtub he inspects your tattoo and the saniderm, making sure it hasn't come off anywhere and once he’s positive everything is good, he finally flops down onto the bed next to you with a groan.
“Agreed, is it bedtime now. First you tattoo me for hours and then you fuck the brains right out of me without so much as a nap in between??” You slap him on the back gently and he recoils like it’s the hardest he’s ever been hit. “Come on, you big baby. Let’s get under the covers.” You roll over off the bed, standing on shaky legs and pulling the comforter back. He still hasn’t moved, so you shrug your shoulders and get comfortable. His scent is deeply embedded in the sheets and pillowcases, so you know you’ll fall asleep fast.
“‘M going, I’m going.” He complains, his face still smushed into the pillows. He struggles for a while, desperately trying to get under the comforter without having to get up and right as you’re about to ask him just what the fuck he thinks he’s doing, he finally succeeds. He gets comfortable on his side and then tugs you back against his chest, his warmth immediately heating your skin. He carefully drapes his arm around your body, making sure not to touch the tender skin of your sternum. “Thanks again for saving my life.” He whispers, his breath tickling you as it wafts over your ear before he places a kiss to your neck and another to your shoulder.
“Anytime, Munson. I like having you around.” You reply, laughing breathily through your nose as you settle back against him.